The sky was overcast. The ground was muddy. Mournful tunes blasting from bagpipes floated in the air.
It was a fitting requiem for a Scottish Highland steer at Allandale Farm that had warmed hearts and turned heads for 17 years. The steer, named Willard, died late last month.
Dozens of people flocked to the urban farm Sunday to remember the animal, who had become a local celebrity alongside Curtis, his bovine compatriot.
Messages of condolence blanketed the barn where the steers had resided. Sunday was initially supposed to mark another, more joyous occasion: the anniversary of when Willard and Curtis first arrived at Allandale.
“We had originally planned a birthday party for them,” said Michael Montuori, a farm manager who helped take care of the cattle for four years. “And unfortunately, just Curtis is here. But today it’s more of a celebration of life for both of them.”
Several of those who gathered spoke about the impact Willard had on their lives. Boston City Councilor Ben Weber, who presented a resolution honoring the life of the steer, wore a shirt bearing images of the two long-horned, shaggy beasts.
“I think that Willard and Curtis are what brings a lot of people to Allandale,” he said.
Curtis, the surviving steer, watched the proceedings with a seemingly curious eye. Helen Glotzer, the farm’s general manger, said even without his pal, he appeared to be content with this more solitary life.
Glotzer said that outpouring of love and support the farm has received since Willard’s passing has been incredible.
“We’ve always known how much both these guys mean to the community,” she said. “But it has been on full display in ways that we didn’t even really understand the depth of until now. It’s been really moving.”
Glotzer said the short way of describing Willard’s cause of death is “old bones.” When elderly cattle like Willard — who weighed more than 1,000 pounds — can no longer stand, they cease to thrive.
“And that’s what happened to him,” Glotzer said. “He went on his own. We came in to him passed away. But there were no signs of struggle. We like to think, and it’s quite likely, that he went quite peacefully.”
